The Dillon tribune., 1887-08-12


onc,tel that {, commander in cI'icf be ap-
,n;ntcd over them and over all the armies.
This was done, and July 2S G'' Henry W:
Hulleck became commander IN ''h"f "t All
the forces of the Initcl States.
Pop<. o., taking command OF III" irSmia
army, announced. that liS headquarters
would he IN the Sable. lie further isS'ien
proclamation u The soldiers:
II have come from the west, lic told
them. i.wicre. we have always seen inc tMc@s
of our enemies, from mn army whose business
!, as been to se,, the adversary and beat INN
when found, wi,os. policy la, been attack
and not defense"
Gen Pope Issued orders from Washington
to hi, army, but did not join j; in person till
the last of July.
1,. orders he issued have been criticised
severely. One required troops to sii'sist on
the ccr,tr;. as fa:' as WIS practicable. An
other declared that non-conlha'a,,,s in the
neighborhood OF the army should bc held re-
sDonsible for damage to military property,
guerrilla attacks on soldiers, and all acts OF
private hostility. y third bulletin orDred
that al the male inhabitants within the lines
OF his army should take the cath of ale
glance 10 the United States government.
Those .vho refused were to bc sent out of the
lines. Whoever took the oath and violated
it was to b., shot Tlr, Confederate 1oycrn-
nent had issued orders similar to these in
Tennessee, nearly n year before.
Pore began military operations by bring
ing the detachments of Ills army nearer to-
gether, making "a line some forty mile, long.
Sirers and Banks corrs were posted mt Spcr-
ryvillc. which will be seen upon the map.
Ricketts, division of McDowel's corps was
placed twenty miles east of this, at Waterloo
bridge over the rorti, fork Of the kapln.!an-
mock, while Gen. Rufus Kings division of
NcDowcll's corps was left at fredericksburg.
1t is an unfortunate circumstance. belong
ing to this part of the history q! the war
TINT there was i'll feeling among cycral Of
the generals with tie armies Of ia" east.
This had it,. .n1iucucr on tho campaign of
Virginia. Met 'Icllnn had the gift "f atlaci'-
ing men to lin, enthusiastically, His imu
clce over many OF the officers under hlin
was unbonn!c',.
They r"r.il"l jcaiou,ly any measure look
ing to II w,:,se,.ii,. Of his authority. 1t w!s
charged that SONG on this account gave only
a half hearted support to the efforts Ct other
generals, particularly those If P"pc in Vir
sinia. They regarded his apraintmc:: "s O
snub to NCl",inn, IN Il m'.,s,,,", anil rc.
sannl It II variol, ways, az was claimed.
Early il A,l,.,,-,. 1862, Gen. Mcclellan deter
mined, from his camp n, l..rri.",,'- landing,
on the James, 10 make an attack ON Rich
n.u,,h I:'.kel and Selywick took possession
OF Malvern Hill on the 4tl,, and made u re-
connoissancc toward Hichmorl. Officers
nnd men were III i.htin. trim and eltliusi-
astic. But suddenly, the night Of Aug. A..
there came am order from ffnlecl; for Nc
Clcllan to Leave the James, AMI withdraw
from the peninsula with his whole army.
Mcclellan demonstrated earnestly. Boti,
sides OF the james were in his hands, aMl ho
could now attack Richmond with good hope
Of success lie begged to be permitted to do
so. Sighting Joe Hooker" indeed, tried to
persuade Mcclellan to fatty disoLey Hal
leck's Order "Y,m might a. we'll t,ie for
sheep as a lamb, argued Hooker.
To McClellans lpnonstrunce against the
order Halleck telcgraphcd only: "1he order
will not be ,rscintlel. and yot, will he ex.
pectetl to execute it with all possible prompt
ness"
Accordingly, with heavy heart, McClel-
peninsula to Acpnia creek and nearer Pope
II Mcclellan and Halleck had only known
1t, KichnOlnl could then have been taken
almost without Il blow, for hy tho 18TH of
August that city had been nearly stripped OF
troops
Tho next campaign in Virginia was to be
fought III region south md somewhat east
of where the last one had closed in tho Shen-
andOah valley.
The reader will observe on the map the
town of Gorlonsville, on tho Orange and
Alexandria railroad. The Confederatcs We're
They early learned that Pope's forces were
concentrating near GordoMsville This was
q railroad center, and kept Richmond il, com.
muntcation with the region both to the west.
ward aud southwark, enabling it to draw
supplies ,, - =.
donsvilic. An order to seize it aud destroy
the railroads had been given rs early as July
II, but was not carried out.
10 preserve (;Ortlunsville I..e had hurried